Thirty months ago, Vincent Walsh's vision of a working farm in the centre of the city was just a theory on a PhD proposal.

The Wythenshawe-born design graduate, who also has an MA in architecture and urbanism, has always had a strong social conscience (he set up Love, Money, Power a few years ago to explore the effects of and solutions to homelessness and poverty) but his urban farm concept was one that required more hands, more funding and more profile.

“I started this project with £300 – living in this building for 24 months and working on it as I could afford to,” says project CEO Vincent as we stand on the expansive top floor of the deco warehouse, once home to a printing firm.

“I had to raise £14,000 to get the building wired and get the electrics in, then £7,000 rent a year. But MIF took my vision and made it a reality a lot quicker than I could ever have done it. I'm probably four years ahead of where I thought I'd be.”

Two years after MIF proposed a similar scheme in a disused office block in Wythenshawe, then, it announced the Biospheric Project: in a sense, MIF's legacy project that will bring fresh food, a local shop, jobs and the beginning of an urban farm empire to the deprived area of Blackfriars, in Salford.

Vincent's enthusiasm for what the project can achieve is utterly infectious. As we stand in the sophisticated vegetable and fruit garden just outside the farm building, locals drop by to talk to him about how things are going and see if he can help with their gardening needs.

The fact he is both utterly approachable and endlessly keen also helps to demystify the science behind this project. Yes, he and his team will be growing exotic varieties of mushrooms to supply high-end restaurants with ingredients currently imported from the Far East (a major plus for emissions targets too), and they're using cutting edge technology to utilise nitrates naturally emitted by fish to feed plants in a giant poly-tunnel on the roof – the shorthand: agroforestry, agroponics and aquaponics.

But Vincent is letting people see the systems for themselves for free during the festival, as well as use its sister projects to buy food: vegetable delivery service Whole Box and local shop 78 Steps – named in honour of the distance between where the produce is grown and sold.

But ultimately, the project is about using fresh food and fresh ideas to reinvigorate communities. “The most impressive thing is the way we've got the community involved,” says Vincent.

“In Chorlton or Wilmslow, people buy into these things. Here, this is a game changer: this system is not just for food production but also a platform for engagement and learning. When we started this, there were 67 places to eat unhealthily and only one place to get fresh food – which has since closed.

“The people here are buying into biodiversity, but this is also creating jobs in an area of high unemployment.”

The Biospheric Project opens on July 5 until July 21 – times vary, check website for opening times and details.

LOOK out for an even bigger food and drink offering at this year's MIF.

And with news of a partnership with Paul Heathcote on the cuisine front, we can expect a host of tasty locally-produced morsels.

Paul's Heathcotes Outside catering arm will be providing a range of hot and cold delicacies at Festival Square, ranging from home-made pork pies to deli platters as well as daily-changing specials.

Each weekend there will also be an extra range of food produced by specially-invited local chefs, soon to be announced.

For MIF13 Richard Johnson of British Street Food has also hand-picked 12 award-winning UK street traders to offer up their wares on Festival Square.